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In the seven months since his appointment, messages have been pouring into the U.S. mission in unprecedented quantity—28,261 pieces of mail as of last week, only 191 of which have been critical. The cheers have been coming from both conservatives, who have historically distrusted the U.N., and liberals, whose commitment to the organization is not as automatic as it used to be, partly as a result of Israel's travails. In the press, praise for Moynihan has come from such politically distant quarters as the right-wing Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader, which has applauded "the blunt speaking that has upset the cookie pushers in our State Department," and the generally liberal Atlanta Constitution, which has praised Moynihan in editorials arguing that "the U.S. should play hardball" in the U.N.
Moynihan has won encomiums from Ronald Reagan, who has invoked his name several times while stumping New Hampshire, and from former Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver, who says his only criticism of the ambassador is that "his so-called hard line seems too soft to me."
A recent survey conducted by the Opinion Research Corp. showed that although public support for the United Nations is waning, Americans overwhelmingly endorse Moynihan: 70% wanted him to continue speaking "frankly and forthrightly" even at the expense of "tact and diplomacy." Moynihan has a following of sorts in parts of the country where Turtle Bay seems about as close (and vital) as Timbuctoo. Says Texas Businessman Kenneth Welch: "Moynihan is a top, rough-cut stone. We don't produce many like that in the U.S." Adds Minneapolis Housewife Marion Lee: "So what if he goes off half-cocked sometimes? I think we need him."
Such views are not necessarily shared at the State Department, where many career diplomats regard Moynihan's pugilistic style as unprofessional and counterproductive. But the growing public support for the fighting Irishman has so far helped to shield him from open trouble from some of those at Foggy Bottom who are known to be uneasy about him, a list that includes the Secretary of State. Henry Kissinger is clearly nettled by Moynihan's addiction to center stage. Once Kissinger heard that Moynihan was getting credit for a well-received Kissinger speech that he himself had written. Said he angrily: "Pat Moynihan's attitude is that he gets a good day's work out of me."
Privately, Kissinger fumed when Moynihan threatened to resign last November over what he considered to be tepid support of him by State; but publicly, he insisted that his differences with Moynihan have merely been "over adjectives, not substance." At times, the differences have involved a divergence in styles so deep that they have become matters of substance.